Defending MotoGP World Championship Fabio Quartararo will be competing on the 2022 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 for the 2022 MotoGP World Championship Series. Yamaha Factory Racing is predictably cagey about the specific specs for the M1, though we can share a few tidbits with you.
The M1 is powered by a 1000cc inline-4 with a crossplane crankshaft, with a maximum output north of 240 horsepower—all managed by a Marelli ECU. The six-speed transmission is a cassette design, allowing quick changes of gearsets—various gear ratios are available. Öhlins supplies the suspension, and Brembo takes care of the braking. Quartararo and his teammate, Franco Morbidelli, have a choice of 320mm, 340mm, or 350mm carbon fiber front discs, depending on the demands of the track. The rear disc is stainless steel. Michelin tires are mounted on 17-inch magnesium wheels. That’s an aluminum twin-spar frame with adjustable geometry, and the swingarm is an aluminum/carbon-fiber mix. The M1 hits the scales at over the FIM MotoGP minimum of 346 pounds.
Quartararo starts 2022 with his first GP title, though he will continue to run #20. His first GP win was in 2018 in the Moto2 class at the Catalan GP, three years after his Moto3 debut. Since then, Quartararo has racked up eight MotoGP wins and 20 podiums in the MotoGP class. The 22-year-old from Nice, France, also has 15 MotoGP poles to his credit.
Franco Morbidelli returns as Quartararo’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate. Although hobbled by injuries last year, Morbidelli was the runner-up to Joan Mir in the 2020 MotoGP World Championship Series. Morbidelli also has the 2017 MotoGP World Championship and 2013 European Superstock 600 Championship on his résumé. Morbidelli was born in Rome and is 27 years old.
The 2022 MotoGP World Championship Series gets started on March 6 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Be sure to bookmark our 2022 MotoGP World Championship Series Schedule.
2022 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 Photo Gallery
